International Journal of Frontiers in Medicine, 2025, 7(3); doi: 10.25236/IJFM.2025.070306.
Wenqi Zhang
Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, 43900, Selangor, Malaysia
This paper examines the clinical benefits of integrating anatomical knowledge into acupuncture treatments for lower limb musculoskeletal disorders, focusing specifically on the application of Futu (ST32) and Dubi (ST35). While traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) emphasizes meridian theory and the flow of Qi, contemporary anatomical understanding provides a complementary framework that can refine point localization and needling techniques. To explore this integrative approach, we conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 60 patients diagnosed with chronic knee or thigh pain. Participants were divided into two groups: one received conventional acupuncture based solely on traditional meridian selection, while the other was treated using an anatomically informed protocol. Outcomes were measured using standardized pain scales and joint mobility assessments. The anatomically guided group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in both pain relief and functional mobility. These findings suggest that combining anatomical precision with classical acupuncture principles can enhance therapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, this approach may serve as a practical model for integrating traditional knowledge with modern biomedical insights, thus contributing to the development of more effective and evidence-based acupuncture strategies for musculoskeletal care. This interdisciplinary method may also encourage further academic collaboration between Eastern and Western medical practitioners, fostering innovations in minimally invasive pain management techniques and rehabilitation protocols.
Acupuncture, Lower Extremity Disorders, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anatomy, Knee Osteoarthritis, Integrative Medicine
Wenqi Zhang. Acupuncture Therapy for Treating Lower Extremity Diseases: Application of Anatomy in Traditional Chinese Medicine. International Journal of Frontiers in Medicine (2025), Vol. 7, Issue 3: 43-47. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFM.2025.070306.
[1] Lambers K, Ootes D, Ring D. Incidence of patients with lower extremity injuries presenting to US emergency departments by anatomic region, disease category, and age. Clin. Orthop. Relat. Res. 2012, 470: 284-290.
[2] Mansoor, S. N., Al Arabia, D. H., & Rathore, F. A. (2022). Ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders among health care professionals: Prevention is better than cure. JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 72(6), 1243–1245. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.22-76
[3] Ootes D, Lambers K T, Ring D C. The epidemiology of upper extremity injuries presenting to the emergency department in the United States. Hand. 2012, 7:18-22.
[4] Wu Q. Piriformis syndrome treated by triple puncture with the bai hu yao tou maneuver. J. Tradit. Chin. Med. 2003, 23: 197-198.
[5] Furlan A D, van Tulder M W, Cherkin D C, et al. Acupuncture and dry-needling for low back pain. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2005, 1351.
[6] Vickers A J, et al. Acupuncture for chronic pain: Update of an individual patient data meta-analysis. J Pain. 2018, 19(5): 455-474.
[7] Langevin H M, et al. Biomechanical response to acupuncture needling in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2006, 91(6):2471-2478.
[8] Zhang R, Lao L, Ren K, Berman B M. Mechanisms of acupuncture–electroacupuncture on persistent pain. Anesthesiology. 2014, 120(2): 482–503.
[9] Liu X, & Jiang S. Anatomical characteristics and classification of acupoints. Chinese Acupuncture, 2012, 32(4): 319-323.
[10] Chen X Z, Yang Y K, Yang J, Yang M X, Feng S W, Hu X J, Luo X, Feng Y, Liang F R. Acupuncture Deqi Intensity and Propagated Sensation along Channels May, Respectively, Differ due to Different Body Positions of Subjects. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013, 13: 897048. doi: 10.1155/2013/897048.
[11] Xiong Zhen, Li Yanmei, Lou Zhuoran, Wang Yu, Ai Yue, Zhao Qing, & Ren Changyi. Exploring the location of acupoint Dubi (ST35). Acupuncture research, 2023, 48(5), 515-518.
[12] da Silva, M. A., & Dorsher, P. T. (2014). Neuroanatomic and clinical correspondences: acupuncture and vagus nerve stimulation. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 20(4), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2012.1022
[13] Karen Gana. The Anatomical Basis of Acupuncture: Past, Present, and Future. The FASEB Journal, 2015, 29.
[14] Zhiwei Ding, Yu Shi & Yongqiang Zhang. Perforators, the Underlying Anatomy of Acupuncture Points. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 2016, 22(3): 25-30.
[15] Urits, I., Schwartz, R. H., Orhurhu, V., Maganty, N. V., Reilly, B. T., Patel, P. M., Wie, C., Kaye, A. D., Mancuso, K. F., Kaye, A. J., & Viswanath, O. (2021). A Comprehensive Review of Alternative Therapies for the Management of Chronic Pain Patients: Acupuncture, Tai Chi, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, and Chiropractic Care. Advances in therapy, 38(1), 76–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-020-01554-0
[16] Mao, Q., Huang, B., Zhu, D., Wang, Y., Xu, S., Wu, D., Huang, G., Li, Z., Chi, Z., & Chen, R. (2023). A Bibliometric Analysis of Acupuncture Therapy in the Treatment of Musculoskeletal Pain from 2003 to 2022. Journal of pain research, 16, 3853–3870. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S431689
[17]Li, A. H., Zhang, J. M., & Xie, Y. K. (2004). Human acupuncture points mapped in rats are associated with excitable muscle/skin-nerve complexes with enriched nerve endings. Brain research, 1012(1-2), 154–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2004.04.009
[18] Li, Y. W., Li, W., Wang, S. T., Gong, Y. N., Dou, B. M., Lyu, Z. X., Ulloa, L., Wang, S. J., Xu, Z. F., & Guo, Y. (2022). The autonomic nervous system: A potential link to the efficacy of acupuncture. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 1038945. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.1038945